Carr won over, but PM waits with brickbats

In agreement ... Bob Carr listens to Mark Latham's conference speech, which he later said contained policies in line with his own. Photo: Pat Scala

Bob Carr and other premiers yesterday backed Mark Latham's vision for Australia, saying his speech had filled them with enthusiasm.

The speech was also praised by the Greens leader, Bob Brown, as a "breath of fresh air in Australian politics" but the Prime Minister, John Howard, rejected Mr Latham's agenda for a future Labor government, saying it was weak on industrial relations, private school funding, asylum seekers and the US-Australia relationship.

"I think the public will see that speech as fresh and as interesting and as lively," he said.

Mr Carr said Mr Latham's positions on school funding, health and other social issues were in line with his policies in NSW.

"It is well-formed, and it's specific, and it's concrete, and it's there in a commitment to lifting funding for schools on a needs basis and in reinstating Medicare, working with the states so we fix up the nationwide problems that apply in our health system," he said.

Mr Carr said Mr Latham's social policies would help deliver the party crucial seats in western Sydney it lost at the last election.

"Labor is back in the race and that speech was authentic, it worked because of its authenticity," Mr Carr said.

Other Labor premiers also backed Mr Latham's platform, with the West Australian Premier, Geoff Gallop - whose state is the most vulnerable to people smuggling - saying he would support the leader's new border protection policy as soon as it was endorsed by the conference.

Mr Howard rejected suggestions he was "rattled" by the new Opposition Leader.

He called a doorstop interview at The Lodge to give a critique of Mr Latham's speech, saying it was regressive on industrial relations, weak on border protection and silent on the economy. Mr Howard said the test of Mr Latham's effectiveness as an opposition leader would come on election night.

Asked if Mr Latham had him rattled, Mr Howard said: "I wouldn't have thought that anybody has ever had me rattled in politics. I've seen them all over a very long period of time."

He said Labor's proposal for needs-based funding for private schools would be seen by parents as an attack on funding for independent schools, while Mr Latham's policy on asylum seekers was a dramatic weakening of the Government's position.

"I never thought that Mr Latham was going to be weaker on border protection than either Kim Beazley or Simon Crean. But it appears to date that he is and if the Left gets its way, he'll be even weaker still," Mr Howard said.

The Treasurer, Peter Costello, said Mr Latham's speech was proof Labor planned to raise taxes and interest rates in government. "When Mr Latham spoke to the ALP conference, what was important was what he didn't say rather than what he said," he told ABC radio.

"He gave no pledge on the budget deficit, he gave no pledge on taxes and he gave no pledges on interest rates.

Senator Brown praised Mr Latham for declaring Australia was not any other country's "deputy sheriff" in the region.

He said there was "fresh vigour" in the Latham speech.

"It's a marked contrast to the fear-mongering, depressive and divisive Howard government mantra of the last couple of years and I think Australians are going to respond to that", Senator Brown said.

The ACTU welcomed Mr Latham's pledge of changes to the industrial relations system and his commitment to finding a better balance between work and family for families.

Its president, Sharan Burrow, said: "We welcome Mark Latham's commitment to introduce paid maternity leave and to improve the rights of working parents. These are litmus-test issues for working families and we welcome the strong support they are getting from Labor's new leader."